The Taliban foreign minister’s visit to India starting Thursday reflects a shift in New Delhi’s posture toward Afghanistan, as other regional powers also look to grow their influence in Kabul.
India does not officially recognize the Taliban, but the thawing ties could be a response to China’s efforts to mend relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, analysts said. For the Taliban, the visit projects “legitimacy for their domestic constituents,” and signals they are no longer over-dependent on Islamabad, experts wrote in NDTV.
The Taliban is pushing for more international acceptance — Russia recently became the first country to formally recognize its government, and other nations, including in Central Asia, could soon follow suit.